System and method for referencing master data in a multi-tenant application-platform-as-a-service architecture

ABSTRACT

System and methods are described for managing references to master data within a multi-tenant architecture associated with an entity. In one implementation, a host database system defines a class of tenants within the multi-tenant architecture. The system designates a first tenant of a plurality of tenants as a master tenant, and defines the remaining tenants of the plurality of tenants as sub-tenants. The system further modifies data objects maintained by the sub-tenants to include references to data maintained by the master tenant.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the United States Patent andTrademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves allcopyright rights whatsoever.

TECHNICAL FIELD

One or more implementations relate to distributed data systems, and morespecifically to management of data within a multi-tenant architecture.

BACKGROUND

“Cloud computing” services provide shared resources, software, andinformation to computers and other devices upon request or on demand.Cloud computing typically involves the over-the-Internet provision ofdynamically-scalable and often virtualized resources. Technologicaldetails can be abstracted from end-users, who no longer have need forexpertise in, or control over, the technology infrastructure “in thecloud” that supports them. In cloud computing environments, softwareapplications can be accessible over the Internet rather than installedlocally on personal or in-house computer systems. Some of theapplications or on-demand services provided to end-users can include theability for a user to create, view, modify, store and share documentsand other files.

Data management in multi-tenant architectures has presented uniquechallenges, leading to the development of master data management (MDM)technologies designed to provide a centralized repository of masterdata, with data governance processes implemented through a combinationof human and system workflow. Some MDM technologies areapplication-agnostic, meaning that any type of master data can bemaintained in the repository. One of the fundamental challenges withMDM, however, is that as soon as data is duplicated and moved, at leastone of the copies is subject to time-influenced decay. This negativelyimpacts the quality of data, and introduces technical debt, as itrequires both human and system-level resources to maintain theduplication status. This problem occurs regardless of whether auni-tenant or multi-tenant architecture is utilized.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The included drawings are for illustrative purposes and serve to provideexamples of possible structures and operations for the disclosedinventive systems, apparatus, methods, and computer-readable storagemedia. These drawings in no way limit any changes in form and detailthat may be made by one skilled in the art without departing from thespirit and scope of the disclosed implementations.

FIG. 1A shows a block diagram of an example environment in which anon-demand database service can be used according to someimplementations.

FIG. 1B shows a block diagram of example implementations of elements ofFIG. 1A and example interconnections between these elements according tosome implementations.

FIG. 2A shows a system diagram of example architectural components of anon-demand database service environment according to someimplementations.

FIG. 2B shows a system diagram further illustrating examplearchitectural components of an on-demand database service environmentaccording to some implementations.

FIG. 3 illustrates a diagrammatic representation of a machine in theexemplary form of a computer system within which one or moreimplementations may be carried out.

FIG. 4A illustrates a multi-tenant architecture 400 using a data modelwhere each tenant maintains its own data.

FIG. 4B illustrates a multi-tenant architecture using a data model basedon a master tenant and sub-tenant relationship according to someimplementations.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for modifying dataobjects to reference master data according to some implementations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The implementations described herein relate to a multi-tenantapplication-platform-as-a-service architecture for which one tenant isdesignated as the source of data used by the remaining tenants. Morespecifically, the implementations described herein allow for thedesignation of a single tenant of multiple tenants associated with anentity as a “master tenant” that manages “master data,” which is used byall of the tenants. Tenants not designated as master tenant(“sub-tenants”) do not store the actual data values, but instead includestore and maintain references to the master data.

Distributed data is often utilized by a single system to performspecialized operations (e.g., preparing customized content, generatingemails, etc.), but the desired data is typically stored across multipleremote systems. A common approach to mitigate this problem is toreplicate data between data centers; however, this approach is expensivemonetarily and in terms of network and computing resources. Moreover,this approach also introduces new problems, such as datasynchronization.

Advantages of the implementations of the present disclosure overtraditional approaches include, but are not limited to: (1) eliminatingtime-delay induced decay and increasing quality of data by eliminatingthe requirement for copying and moving data; (2) eliminating therequirement for an external third-party master data management system;(3) allowing data relationships to be modeled in sub-tenantsindependently of how the relationships are modeled in the master tenant;(4) allowing for the implementation of multi-organization strategiesthat can grow without the need to propagate master data; and (5)avoiding latency in data referencing that is associated with Internettransit.

Examples of systems, apparatuses, computer-readable storage media, andmethods according to the disclosed implementations are described in thissection. These examples are being provided solely to add context and aidin the understanding of the disclosed implementations. It will thus beapparent to one skilled in the art that the disclosed implementationsmay be practiced without some or all of the specific details provided.In other instances, certain process or method operations, also referredto herein as “blocks,” have not been described in detail in order toavoid unnecessarily obscuring the disclosed implementations. Otherimplementations and applications also are possible, and as such, thefollowing examples should not be taken as definitive or limiting eitherin scope or setting.

In the following detailed description, references are made to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of the description and in whichare shown, by way of illustration, specific implementations. Althoughthese disclosed implementations are described in sufficient detail toenable one skilled in the art to practice the implementations, it is tobe understood that these examples are not limiting, such that otherimplementations may be used and changes may be made to the disclosedimplementations without departing from their spirit and scope. Forexample, the blocks of the methods shown and described herein are notnecessarily performed in the order indicated in some otherimplementations. Additionally, in some other implementations, thedisclosed methods may include more or fewer blocks than are described.As another example, some blocks described herein as separate blocks maybe combined in some other implementations. Conversely, what may bedescribed herein as a single block may be implemented in multiple blocksin some other implementations. Additionally, the conjunction “or” isintended herein in the inclusive sense where appropriate unlessotherwise indicated; that is, the phrase “A, B, or C” is intended toinclude the possibilities of “A,” “B,” “C,” “A and B,” “B and C,” “A andC,” and “A, B, and C.”

The words “example” or “exemplary” are used herein to mean serving as anexample, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design describedherein as “example” or “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed aspreferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs. Rather, use ofthe words “example” or “exemplary” is intended to present concepts in aconcrete fashion.

In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used herein and in theappended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more”unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to asingular form. Reference throughout this specification to “animplementation,” “one implementation,” “some implementations,” or“certain implementations” indicates that a particular feature,structure, or characteristic described in connection with theimplementation is included in at least one implementation. Thus, theappearances of the phrase “an implementation,” “one implementation,”“some implementations,” or “certain implementations” in variouslocations throughout this specification are not necessarily allreferring to the same implementation.

Some portions of the detailed description may be presented in terms ofalgorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bitswithin a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions andrepresentations are the manner used by those skilled in the dataprocessing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their workto others skilled in the art. An algorithm is herein, and generally,conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desiredresult. The steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physicalquantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take theform of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored,transferred, combined, compared, or otherwise manipulated. It has provenconvenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to referto these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms,numbers, or the like.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussion,it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizingterms such as “receiving,” “retrieving,” “transmitting,” “computing,”“generating,” “adding,” “subtracting,” “multiplying,” “dividing,”“optimizing,” “calibrating,” “detecting,” “performing,” “analyzing,”“determining,” “enabling,” “identifying,” “modifying,” “transforming,”“applying,” “aggregating,” “extracting,” “registering,” “querying,”“populating,” “hydrating,” “updating,” “defining,” “designating,” or thelike, refer to the actions and processes of a computer system, orsimilar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transformsdata represented as physical (e.g., electronic) quantities within thecomputer system's registers and memories into other data similarlyrepresented as physical quantities within the computer system memoriesor registers or other such information storage, transmission, or displaydevices.

The specific details of the specific aspects of implementationsdisclosed herein may be combined in any suitable manner withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the disclosed implementations.However, other implementations may be directed to specificimplementations relating to each individual aspect, or specificcombinations of these individual aspects. Additionally, while thedisclosed examples are often described herein with reference to animplementation in which an on-demand database service environment isimplemented in a system having an application server providing a frontend for an on-demand database service capable of supporting multipletenants, the present implementations are not limited to multi-tenantdatabases or deployment on application servers. Implementations may bepracticed using other database architectures, i.e., ORACLE®, DB2® byIBM, and the like without departing from the scope of theimplementations claimed. Moreover, the implementations are applicable toother systems and environments including, but not limited to,client-server models, mobile technology and devices, wearable devices,and on-demand services.

It should also be understood that some of the disclosed implementationscan be embodied in the form of various types of hardware, software,firmware, or combinations thereof, including in the form of controllogic, and using such hardware or software in a modular or integratedmanner. Other ways or methods are possible using hardware and acombination of hardware and software. Any of the software components orfunctions described in this application can be implemented as softwarecode to be executed by one or more processors using any suitablecomputer language such as, for example, C, C++, Java™ (which is atrademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.), or Perl using, for example,existing or object-oriented techniques. The software code can be storedas non-transitory instructions on any type of tangible computer-readablestorage medium (referred to herein as a “non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium”). Examples of suitable media includerandom access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic media suchas a hard-drive or a floppy disk, or an optical medium such as a compactdisc (CD) or digital versatile disc (DVD), flash memory, and the like,or any combination of such storage or transmission devices.Computer-readable media encoded with the software/program code may bepackaged with a compatible device or provided separately from otherdevices (for example, via Internet download). Any such computer-readablemedium may reside on or within a single computing device or an entirecomputer system, and may be among other computer-readable media within asystem or network. A computer system, or other computing device, mayinclude a monitor, printer, or other suitable display for providing anyof the results mentioned herein to a user.

The disclosure also relates to apparatuses, devices, and systemadapted/configured to perform the operations herein. The apparatuses,devices, and systems may be specially constructed for their requiredpurposes, may be selectively activated or reconfigured by a computerprogram, or some combination thereof.

I. Example System Overview

FIG. 1A shows a block diagram of an example of an environment 10 inwhich an on-demand database service can be used in accordance with someimplementations. The environment 10 includes user systems 12, a network14, a database system 16 (also referred to herein as a “cloud-basedsystem”), a processor system 17, an application platform 18, a networkinterface 20, tenant database 22 for storing tenant data 23, systemdatabase 24 for storing system data 25, program code 26 for implementingvarious functions of the database system 16, and process space 28 forexecuting database system processes and tenant-specific processes, suchas running applications as part of an application hosting service. Insome other implementations, environment 10 may not have all of thesecomponents or systems, or may have other components or systems insteadof, or in addition to, those listed above.

In some implementations, the environment 10 is an environment in whichan on-demand database service exists. An on-demand database service,such as that which can be implemented using the database system 16, is aservice that is made available to users outside an enterprise (orenterprises) that owns, maintains, or provides access to the databasesystem 16. As described above, such users generally do not need to beconcerned with building or maintaining the database system 16. Instead,resources provided by the database system 16 may be available for suchusers' use when the users need services provided by the database system16; that is, on the demand of the users. Some on-demand databaseservices can store information from one or more tenants into tables of acommon database image to form a multi-tenant database system (MTS). Theterm “multi-tenant database system” can refer to those systems in whichvarious elements of hardware and software of a database system may beshared by one or more customers or tenants. For example, a givenapplication server may simultaneously process requests for a greatnumber of customers, and a given database table may store rows of datasuch as feed items for a potentially much greater number of customers. Adatabase image can include one or more database objects. A relationaldatabase management system (RDBMS) or the equivalent can execute storageand retrieval of information against the database object(s).

Application platform 18 can be a framework that allows the applicationsof the database system 16 to execute, such as the hardware or softwareinfrastructure of the database system 16. In some implementations, theapplication platform 18 enables the creation, management and executionof one or more applications developed by the provider of the on-demanddatabase service, users accessing the on-demand database service viauser systems 12, or third party application developers accessing theon-demand database service via user systems 12.

In some implementations, the database system 16 implements a web-basedcustomer relationship management (CRM) system. For example, in some suchimplementations, the database system 16 includes application serversconfigured to implement and execute CRM software applications as well asprovide related data, code, forms, renderable web pages, and documentsand other information to and from user systems 12 and to store to, andretrieve from, a database system related data, objects, and Web pagecontent. In some MTS implementations, data for multiple tenants may bestored in the same physical database object in tenant database 22. Insome such implementations, tenant data is arranged in the storagemedium(s) of tenant database 22 so that data of one tenant is keptlogically separate from that of other tenants so that one tenant doesnot have access to another tenant's data, unless such data is expresslyshared. The database system 16 also implements applications other than,or in addition to, a CRM application. For example, the database system16 can provide tenant access to multiple hosted (standard and custom)applications, including a CRM application. User (or third partydeveloper) applications, which may or may not include CRM, may besupported by the application platform 18. The application platform 18manages the creation and storage of the applications into one or moredatabase objects and the execution of the applications in one or morevirtual machines in the process space of the database system 16.

According to some implementations, each database system 16 is configuredto provide web pages, forms, applications, data, and media content touser (client) systems 12 to support the access by user systems 12 astenants of the database system 16. As such, the database system 16provides security mechanisms to keep each tenant's data separate unlessthe data is shared. If more than one MTS is used, they may be located inclose proximity to one another (for example, in a server farm located ina single building or campus), or they may be distributed at locationsremote from one another (for example, one or more servers located incity A and one or more servers located in city B). As used herein, eachMTS could include one or more logically or physically connected serversdistributed locally or across one or more geographic locations.Additionally, the term “server” is meant to refer to a computing deviceor system, including processing hardware and process space(s), anassociated storage medium such as a memory device or database, and, insome instances, a database application, such as an object-orienteddatabase management system (OODBMS) or a relational database managementsystem (RDBMS), as is well known in the art. It should also beunderstood that “server system” and “server” are often usedinterchangeably herein. Similarly, the database objects described hereincan be implemented as part of a single database, a distributed database,a collection of distributed databases, a database with redundant onlineor offline backups or other redundancies, etc., and can include adistributed database or storage network and associated processingintelligence.

The network 14 can be or include any network or combination of networksof systems or devices that communicate with one another. For example,the network 14 can be or include any one or any combination of a localarea network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), telephone network, wirelessnetwork, cellular network, point-to-point network, star network, tokenring network, hub network, or other appropriate configuration. Thenetwork 14 can include a Transfer Control Protocol and Internet Protocol(TCP/IP) network, such as the global internetwork of networks oftenreferred to as the “Internet” (with a capital “I”). The Internet will beused in many of the examples herein. However, it should be understoodthat the networks that the disclosed implementations can use are not solimited, although TCP/IP is a frequently implemented protocol.

The user systems 12 can communicate with the database system 16 usingTCP/IP and, at a higher network level, other common Internet protocolsto communicate, such as the Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP), HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS), File Transfer Protocol (FTP),Apple File Service (AFS), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), etc. Inan example where HTTP is used, each user system 12 can include an HTTPclient commonly referred to as a “web browser” or simply a “browser” forsending and receiving HTTP signals to and from an HTTP server of thedatabase system 16. Such an HTTP server can be implemented as the solenetwork interface 20 between the database system 16 and the network 14,but other techniques can be used in addition to or instead of thesetechniques. In some implementations, the network interface 20 betweenthe database system 16 and the network 14 includes load sharingfunctionality, such as round-robin HTTP request distributors to balanceloads and distribute incoming HTTP requests evenly over a number ofservers. In MTS implementations, each of the servers can have access tothe MTS data; however, other alternative configurations may be usedinstead.

The user systems 12 can be implemented as any computing device(s) orother data processing apparatus or systems usable by users to access thedatabase system 16. For example, any of user systems 12 can be a desktopcomputer, a work station, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, ahandheld computing device, a mobile cellular phone (for example, a“smartphone”), or any other Wi-Fi-enabled device, WAP-enabled device, orother computing device capable of interfacing directly or indirectly tothe Internet or other network. When discussed in the context of a user,the terms “user system,” “user device,” and “user computing device” areused interchangeably herein with one another and with the term“computer.” As described above, each user system 12 typically executesan HTTP client, for example, a web browsing (or simply “browsing”)program, such as a web browser based on the WebKit platform, Microsoft'sInternet Explorer browser, Netscape's Navigator browser, Opera'sbrowser, Mozilla's Firefox browser, or a WAP-enabled browser in the caseof a cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), or other wirelessdevice, allowing a user (for example, a subscriber of on-demand servicesprovided by the database system 16) of the user system 12 to access,process, and view information, pages, and applications available to itfrom the database system 16 over the network 14.

Each user system 12 also typically includes one or more user inputdevices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, a touch pad, a touchscreen, a pen or stylus, or the like, for interacting with a graphicaluser interface (GUI) provided by the browser on a display (for example,a monitor screen, liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode(LED) display, etc.) of the user system 12 in conjunction with pages,forms, applications, and other information provided by the databasesystem 16 or other systems or servers. For example, the user interfacedevice can be used to access data and applications hosted by databasesystem 16, and to perform searches on stored data, or otherwise allow auser to interact with various GUI pages that may be presented to a user.As discussed above, implementations are suitable for use with theInternet, although other networks can be used instead of or in additionto the Internet, such as an intranet, an extranet, a virtual privatenetwork (VPN), a non-TCP/IP based network, any LAN or WAN or the like.

The users of user systems 12 may differ in their respective capacities,and the capacity of a particular user system 12 can be entirelydetermined by permissions (permission levels) for the current user ofsuch user system. For example, where a salesperson is using a particularuser system 12 to interact with the database system 16, that user systemcan have the capacities allotted to the salesperson. However, while anadministrator is using that user system 12 to interact with the databasesystem 16, that user system can have the capacities allotted to thatadministrator. Where a hierarchical role model is used, users at onepermission level can have access to applications, data, and databaseinformation accessible by a lower permission level user, but may nothave access to certain applications, database information, and dataaccessible by a user at a higher permission level. Thus, different usersgenerally will have different capabilities with regard to accessing andmodifying application and database information, depending on the users'respective security or permission levels (also referred to as“authorizations”).

According to some implementations, each user system 12 and some or allof its components are operator-configurable using applications, such asa browser, including computer code executed using a central processingunit (CPU), such as an Intel Pentium® processor or the like. Similarly,the database system 16 (and additional instances of an MTS, where morethan one is present) and all of its components can beoperator-configurable using application(s) including computer code torun using the processor system 17, which may be implemented to include aCPU, which may include an Intel Pentium® processor or the like, ormultiple CPUs.

The database system 16 includes non-transitory computer-readable storagemedia having instructions stored thereon that are executable by or usedto program a server or other computing system (or collection of suchservers or computing systems) to perform some of the implementation ofprocesses described herein. For example, the program code 26 can includeinstructions for operating and configuring the database system 16 tointercommunicate and to process web pages, applications, and other dataand media content as described herein. In some implementations, theprogram code 26 can be downloadable and stored on a hard disk, but theentire program code, or portions thereof, also can be stored in anyother volatile or non-volatile memory medium or device as is well known,such as a ROM or RAM, or provided on any media capable of storingprogram code, such as any type of rotating media including floppy disks,optical discs, DVDs, CDs, microdrives, magneto-optical discs, magneticor optical cards, nanosystems (including molecular memory integratedcircuits), or any other type of computer-readable medium or devicesuitable for storing instructions or data. Additionally, the entireprogram code, or portions thereof, may be transmitted and downloadedfrom a software source over a transmission medium, for example, over theInternet, or from another server, as is well known, or transmitted overany other existing network connection as is well known (for example,extranet, VPN, LAN, etc.) using any communication medium and protocols(for example, TCP/IP, HTTP, HTTPS, Ethernet, etc.) as are well known. Itwill also be appreciated that computer code for the disclosedimplementations can be realized in any programming language that can beexecuted on a server or other computing system such as, for example, C,C++, HTML, any other markup language, Java™, JavaScript, ActiveX, anyother scripting language, such as VBScript, and many other programminglanguages as are well known.

FIG. 1B shows a block diagram of example implementations of elements ofFIG. 1A and example interconnections between these elements according tosome implementations. That is, FIG. 1B also illustrates environment 10,but FIG. 1B, various elements of the database system 16 and variousinterconnections between such elements are shown with more specificityaccording to some more specific implementations. In someimplementations, the database system 16 may not have the same elementsas those described herein or may have other elements instead of, or inaddition to, those described herein.

In FIG. 1B, the user system 12 includes a processor system 12A, a memorysystem 12B, an input system 12C, and an output system 12D. The processorsystem 12A can include any suitable combination of one or moreprocessors. The memory system 12B can include any suitable combinationof one or more memory devices. The input system 12C can include anysuitable combination of input devices, such as one or more touchscreeninterfaces, keyboards, mice, trackballs, scanners, cameras, orinterfaces to networks. The output system 12D can include any suitablecombination of output devices, such as one or more display devices,printers, or interfaces to networks.

In FIG. 1B, the network interface 20 of FIG. 1A is implemented as a setof HTTP application servers 100 ₁-100 _(N). Each application server 100,also referred to herein as an “app server,” is configured to communicatewith tenant database 22 and the tenant data 23 therein, as well assystem database 24 and the system data 25 therein, to serve requestsreceived from the user systems 12. The tenant data 23 can be dividedinto individual tenant storage spaces 112, which can be physically orlogically arranged or divided. Within each tenant storage space 112,user storage 114, and application metadata 116 can similarly beallocated for each user. For example, a copy of a user's most recentlyused (MRU) items can be stored to user storage 114. Similarly, a copy ofMRU items for an entire organization that is a tenant can be stored totenant storage space 112.

The database system 16 of FIG. 1B also includes a user interface (UI) 30and an application programming interface (API) 32. The process space 28includes system process space 102, individual tenant process spaces 104and a tenant management process space 110. The application platform 18includes an application setup mechanism 38 that supports applicationdevelopers' creation and management of applications. Such applicationsand others can be saved as metadata into tenant database 22 by saveroutines 36 for execution by subscribers as one or more tenant processspaces 104 managed by tenant management process space 110, for example.Invocations to such applications can be coded using PL/SOQL 34, whichprovides a programming language style interface extension to the API 32.A detailed description of some PL/SOQL language implementations isdiscussed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,730,478, titled METHODAND SYSTEM FOR ALLOWING ACCESS TO DEVELOPED APPLICATIONS VIA AMULTI-TENANT ON-DEMAND DATABASE SERVICE, issued on Jun. 1, 2010, andhereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety and for allpurposes. Invocations to applications can be detected by one or moresystem processes, which manage retrieving application metadata 116 forthe subscriber making the invocation and executing the metadata as anapplication in a virtual machine.

Each application server 100 can be communicably coupled with tenantdatabase 22 and system database 24, for example, having access to tenantdata 23 and system data 25, respectively, via a different networkconnection. For example, one application server 100 ₁ can be coupled viathe network 14 (for example, the Internet), another application server100 ₂ can be coupled via a direct network link, and another applicationserver 100 _(N) can be coupled by yet a different network connection.Transfer Control Protocol and Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) are examples oftypical protocols that can be used for communicating between applicationservers 100 and the database system 16. However, it will be apparent toone skilled in the art that other transport protocols can be used tooptimize the database system 16 depending on the networkinterconnections used.

In some implementations, each application server 100 is configured tohandle requests for any user associated with any organization that is atenant of the database system 16. Because it can be desirable to be ableto add and remove application servers 100 from the server pool at anytime and for various reasons, in some implementations there is no serveraffinity for a user or organization to a specific application server100. In some such implementations, an interface system implementing aload balancing function (for example, an F5 Big-IP load balancer) iscommunicably coupled between the application servers 100 and the usersystems 12 to distribute requests to the application servers 100. In oneimplementation, the load balancer uses a least-connections algorithm toroute user requests to the application servers 100. Other examples ofload balancing algorithms, such as round robin andobserved-response-time, also can be used. For example, in someinstances, three consecutive requests from the same user could hit threedifferent application servers 100, and three requests from differentusers could hit the same application server 100. In this manner, by wayof example, database system 16 can be a multi-tenant system in whichdatabase system 16 handles storage of, and access to, different objects,data, and applications across disparate users and organizations.

In one example storage use case, one tenant can be a company thatemploys a sales force where each salesperson uses database system 16 tomanage aspects of their sales. A user can maintain contact data, leadsdata, customer follow-up data, performance data, goals and progressdata, etc., all applicable to that user's personal sales process (forexample, in tenant database 22). In an example of a MTS arrangement,because all of the data and the applications to access, view, modify,report, transmit, calculate, etc., can be maintained and accessed by auser system 12 having little more than network access, the user canmanage his or her sales efforts and cycles from any of many differentuser systems. For example, when a salesperson is visiting a customer andthe customer has Internet access in their lobby, the salesperson canobtain critical updates regarding that customer while waiting for thecustomer to arrive in the lobby.

While each user's data can be stored separately from other users' dataregardless of the employers of each user, some data can beorganization-wide data shared or accessible by several users or all ofthe users for a given organization that is a tenant. Thus, there can besome data structures managed by database system 16 that are allocated atthe tenant level while other data structures can be managed at the userlevel. Because an MTS can support multiple tenants including possiblecompetitors, the MTS can have security protocols that keep data,applications, and application use separate. Also, because many tenantsmay opt for access to an MTS rather than maintain their own system,redundancy, up-time, and backup are additional functions that can beimplemented in the MTS. In addition to user-specific data andtenant-specific data, the database system 16 also can maintain systemlevel data usable by multiple tenants or other data. Such system leveldata can include industry reports, news, postings, and the like that aresharable among tenants.

In some implementations, the user systems 12 (which also can be clientsystems) communicate with the application servers 100 to request andupdate system-level and tenant-level data from the database system 16.Such requests and updates can involve sending one or more queries totenant database 22 or system database 24. The database system 16 (forexample, an application server 100 in the database system 16) canautomatically generate one or more structure query language (SQL)statements (for example, one or more SQL queries) designed to access thedesired information. System database 24 can generate query plans toaccess the requested data from the database. The term “query plan”generally refers to one or more operations used to access information ina database system.

Each database can generally be viewed as a collection of objects, suchas a set of logical tables, containing data fitted into predefined orcustomizable categories. A “table” is one representation of a dataobject, and may be used herein to simplify the conceptual description ofobjects and custom objects according to some implementations. It shouldbe understood that “table” and “object” may be used interchangeablyherein. Each table generally contains one or more data categorieslogically arranged as columns or fields in a viewable schema. Each rowor element of a table can contain an instance of data for each categorydefined by the fields. For example, a CRM database can include a tablethat describes a customer with fields for basic contact information suchas name, address, phone number, fax number, etc. Another table candescribe a purchase order, including fields for information such ascustomer, product, sale price, date, etc. In some MTS implementations,standard entity tables can be provided for use by all tenants. For CRMdatabase applications, such standard entities can include tables forcase, account, contact, lead, and opportunity data objects, eachcontaining pre-defined fields. As used herein, the term “entity” alsomay be used interchangeably with “object” and “table.”

In some MTS implementations, tenants are allowed to create and storecustom objects, or may be allowed to customize standard entities orobjects, for example by creating custom fields for standard objects,including custom index fields. Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No.7,779,039, titled CUSTOM ENTITIES AND FIELDS IN A MULTI-TENANT DATABASESYSTEM, issued on Aug. 17, 2010, and hereby incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety and for all purposes, teaches systems and methodsfor creating custom objects as well as customizing standard objects in amulti-tenant database system. In some implementations, for example, allcustom entity data rows are stored in a single multi-tenant physicaltable, which may contain multiple logical tables per organization. It istransparent to customers that their multiple “tables” are in fact storedin one large table or that their data may be stored in the same table asthe data of other customers.

FIG. 2A shows a system diagram illustrating example architecturalcomponents of an on-demand database service environment 200 according tosome implementations. A client machine communicably connected with thecloud 204, generally referring to one or more networks in combination,as described herein, can communicate with the on-demand database serviceenvironment 200 via one or more edge routers 208 and 212. A clientmachine can be any of the examples of user systems 12 described above.The edge routers can communicate with one or more core switches 220 and224 through a firewall 216. The core switches can communicate with aload balancer 228, which can distribute server load over different pods,such as the pods 240 and 244. The pods 240 and 244, which can eachinclude one or more servers or other computing resources, can performdata processing and other operations used to provide on-demand services.Communication with the pods can be conducted via pod switches 232 and236. Components of the on-demand database service environment cancommunicate with database storage 256 through a database firewall 248and a database switch 252.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, accessing an on-demand database serviceenvironment can involve communications transmitted among a variety ofdifferent hardware or software components. Further, the on-demanddatabase service environment 200 is a simplified representation of anactual on-demand database service environment. For example, while onlyone or two devices of each type are shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, someimplementations of an on-demand database service environment can includeanywhere from one to several devices of each type. Also, the on-demanddatabase service environment need not include each device shown in FIGS.2A and 2B, or can include additional devices not shown in FIGS. 2A and2B.

Additionally, it should be appreciated that one or more of the devicesin the on-demand database service environment 200 can be implemented onthe same physical device or on different hardware. Some devices can beimplemented using hardware or a combination of hardware and software.Thus, terms such as “data processing apparatus,” “machine,” “server,”“device,” and “processing device” as used herein are not limited to asingle hardware device; rather, references to these terms can includeany suitable combination of hardware and software configured to providethe described functionality.

The cloud 204 is intended to refer to a data network or multiple datanetworks, often including the Internet. Client machines communicablyconnected with the cloud 204 can communicate with other components ofthe on-demand database service environment 200 to access servicesprovided by the on-demand database service environment. For example,client machines can access the on-demand database service environment toretrieve, store, edit, or process information. In some implementations,the edge routers 208 and 212 route packets between the cloud 204 andother components of the on-demand database service environment 200. Forexample, the edge routers 208 and 212 can employ the Border GatewayProtocol (BGP). The BGP is the core routing protocol of the Internet.The edge routers 208 and 212 can maintain a table of Internet Protocol(IP) networks or ‘prefixes,’ which designate network reachability amongautonomous systems on the Internet.

In some implementations, the firewall 216 can protect the innercomponents of the on-demand database service environment 200 fromInternet traffic. The firewall 216 can block, permit, or deny access tothe inner components of the on-demand database service environment 200based upon a set of rules and other criteria. The firewall 216 can actas one or more of a packet filter, an application gateway, a statefulfilter, a proxy server, or any other type of firewall.

In some implementations, the core switches 220 and 224 are high-capacityswitches that transfer packets within the on-demand database serviceenvironment 200. The core switches 220 and 224 can be configured asnetwork bridges that quickly route data between different componentswithin the on-demand database service environment. In someimplementations, the use of two or more core switches 220 and 224 canprovide redundancy or reduced latency.

In some implementations, the pods 240 and 244 perform the core dataprocessing and service functions provided by the on-demand databaseservice environment. Each pod can include various types of hardware orsoftware computing resources. An example of the pod architecture isdiscussed in greater detail with reference to FIG. 2B. In someimplementations, communication between the pods 240 and 244 is conductedvia the pod switches 232 and 236. The pod switches 232 and 236 canfacilitate communication between the pods 240 and 244 and clientmachines communicably connected with the cloud 204, for example, viacore switches 220 and 224. Also, the pod switches 232 and 236 mayfacilitate communication between the pods 240 and 244 and the databasestorage 256. In some implementations, the load balancer 228 candistribute workload between the pods 240 and 244. Balancing theon-demand service requests between the pods can assist in improving theuse of resources, increasing throughput, reducing response times, orreducing overhead. The load balancer 228 may include multilayer switchesto analyze and forward traffic.

In some implementations, access to the database storage 256 is guardedby a database firewall 248. The database firewall 248 can act as acomputer application firewall operating at the database applicationlayer of a protocol stack. The database firewall 248 can protect thedatabase storage 256 from application attacks such as SQL injection,database rootkits, and unauthorized information disclosure. In someimplementations, the database firewall 248 includes a host using one ormore forms of reverse proxy services to proxy traffic before passing itto a gateway router. The database firewall 248 can inspect the contentsof database traffic and block certain content or database requests. Thedatabase firewall 248 can work on the SQL application level atop theTCP/IP stack, managing applications' connection to the database or SQLmanagement interfaces as well as intercepting and enforcing packetstraveling to or from a database network or application interface.

In some implementations, communication with the database storage 256 isconducted via the database switch 252. The multi-tenant database storage256 can include more than one hardware or software components forhandling database queries. Accordingly, the database switch 252 candirect database queries transmitted by other components of the on-demanddatabase service environment (for example, the pods 240 and 244) to thecorrect components within the database storage 256. In someimplementations, the database storage 256 is an on-demand databasesystem shared by many different organizations as described above withreference to FIGS. 1A and 1B.

FIG. 2B shows a system diagram further illustrating examplearchitectural components of an on-demand database service environmentaccording to some implementations. The pod 244 can be used to renderservices to a user of the on-demand database service environment 200. Insome implementations, each pod includes a variety of servers or othersystems. The pod 244 includes one or more content batch servers 264,content search servers 268, query servers 282, file servers 286, accesscontrol system (ACS) servers 280, batch servers 284, and app servers288. The pod 244 also can include database instances 290, quick filesystems (QFS) 292, and indexers 294. In some implementations, some orall communication between the servers in the pod 244 can be transmittedvia the pod switch 236.

In some implementations, the app servers 288 include a hardware orsoftware framework dedicated to the execution of procedures (forexample, programs, routines, scripts) for supporting the construction ofapplications provided by the on-demand database service environment 200via the pod 244. In some implementations, the hardware or softwareframework of an app server 288 is configured to execute operations ofthe services described herein, including performance of the blocks ofvarious methods or processes described herein. In some alternativeimplementations, two or more app servers 288 can be included andcooperate to perform such methods, or one or more other serversdescribed herein can be configured to perform the disclosed methods.

The content batch servers 264 can handle requests internal to the pod.Some such requests can be long-running or not tied to a particularcustomer. For example, the content batch servers 264 can handle requestsrelated to log mining, cleanup work, and maintenance tasks. The contentsearch servers 268 can provide query and indexer functions. For example,the functions provided by the content search servers 268 can allow usersto search through content stored in the on-demand database serviceenvironment. The file servers 286 can manage requests for informationstored in the file storage 298. The file storage 298 can storeinformation such as documents, images, and binary large objects (BLOBs).By managing requests for information using the file servers 286, theimage footprint on the database can be reduced. The query servers 282can be used to retrieve information from one or more file systems. Forexample, the query servers 282 can receive requests for information fromthe app servers 288 and transmit information queries to the network filesystems (NFS) 296 located outside the pod.

The pod 244 can share a database instance 290 configured as amulti-tenant environment in which different organizations share accessto the same database. Additionally, services rendered by the pod 244 maycall upon various hardware or software resources. In someimplementations, the ACS servers 280 control access to data, hardwareresources, or software resources. In some implementations, the batchservers 284 process batch jobs, which are used to run tasks at specifiedtimes. For example, the batch servers 284 can transmit instructions toother servers, such as the app servers 288, to trigger the batch jobs.

In some implementations, the QFS 292 is an open source file systemavailable from Sun Microsystems, Inc. The QFS can serve as arapid-access file system for storing and accessing information availablewithin the pod 244. The QFS 292 can support some volume managementcapabilities, allowing many disks to be grouped together into a filesystem. File system metadata can be kept on a separate set of disks,which can be useful for streaming applications where long disk seekscannot be tolerated. Thus, the QFS system can communicate with one ormore content search servers 268 or indexers 294 to identify, retrieve,move, or update data stored in the NFS 296 or other storage systems.

In some implementations, one or more query servers 282 communicate withthe NFS 296 to retrieve or update information stored outside of the pod244. The NFS 296 can allow servers located in the pod 244 to accessinformation to access files over a network in a manner similar to howlocal storage is accessed. In some implementations, queries from thequery servers 282 are transmitted to the NFS 296 via the load balancer228, which can distribute resource requests over various resourcesavailable in the on-demand database service environment. The NFS 296also can communicate with the QFS 292 to update the information storedon the NFS 296 or to provide information to the QFS 292 for use byservers located within the pod 244.

In some implementations, the pod includes one or more database instances290. The database instance 290 can transmit information to the QFS 292.When information is transmitted to the QFS, it can be available for useby servers within the pod 244 without using an additional database call.In some implementations, database information is transmitted to theindexer 294. Indexer 294 can provide an index of information availablein the database instance 290 or QFS 292. The index information can beprovided to the file servers 286 or the QFS 292.

FIG. 3 illustrates a diagrammatic representation of a machine in theexemplary form of a computer system 300 within which a set ofinstructions (e.g., for causing the machine to perform any one or moreof the methodologies discussed herein) may be executed. In alternativeimplementations, the machine may be connected (e.g., networked) to othermachines in a LAN, a WAN, an intranet, an extranet, or the Internet. Themachine may operate in the capacity of a server or a client machine inclient-server network environment, or as a peer machine in apeer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine may be apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a PDA, acellular telephone, a web appliance, a server, a network router, switchor bridge, or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions(sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by thatmachine. Further, while only a single machine is illustrated, the term“machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machines thatindividually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructionsto perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. Someor all of the components of the computer system 300 may be utilized byor illustrative of any of the electronic components described herein(e.g., any of the components illustrated in or described with respect toFIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B).

The exemplary computer system 300 includes a processing device(processor) 302, a main memory 304 (e.g., ROM, flash memory, dynamicrandom access memory (DRAM) such as synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) or RambusDRAM (RDRAM), etc.), a static memory 306 (e.g., flash memory, staticrandom access memory (SRAM), etc.), and a data storage device 320, whichcommunicate with each other via a bus 310.

Processor 302 represents one or more general-purpose processing devicessuch as a microprocessor, central processing unit, or the like. Moreparticularly, the processor 302 may be a complex instruction setcomputing (CISC) microprocessor, reduced instruction set computing(RISC) microprocessor, very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor,or a processor implementing other instruction sets or processorsimplementing a combination of instruction sets. The processor 302 mayalso be one or more special-purpose processing devices such as anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), network processor,or the like. The processor 302 is configured to execute instructions 326for performing the operations and steps discussed herein.

The computer system 300 may further include a network interface device308. The computer system 300 also may include a video display unit 312(e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT), or atouch screen), an alphanumeric input device 314 (e.g., a keyboard), acursor control device 316 (e.g., a mouse), and a signal generationdevice 322 (e.g., a speaker).

Power device 318 may monitor a power level of a battery used to powerthe computer system 300 or one or more of its components. The powerdevice 718 may provide one or more interfaces to provide an indicationof a power level, a time window remaining prior to shutdown of computersystem 300 or one or more of its components, a power consumption rate,an indicator of whether computer system is utilizing an external powersource or battery power, and other power related information. In someimplementations, indications related to the power device 318 may beaccessible remotely (e.g., accessible to a remote back-up managementmodule via a network connection). In some implementations, a batteryutilized by the power device 318 may be an uninterruptable power supply(UPS) local to or remote from computer system 300. In suchimplementations, the power device 318 may provide information about apower level of the UPS.

The data storage device 320 may include a computer-readable storagemedium 324 (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium) onwhich is stored one or more sets of instructions 326 (e.g., software)embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions describedherein. The instructions 326 may also reside, completely or at leastpartially, within the main memory 304 and/or within the processor 302during execution thereof by the computer system 300, the main memory304, and the processor 302 also constituting computer-readable storagemedia. The instructions 326 may further be transmitted or received overa network 330 (e.g., the network 14) via the network interface device308.

In one implementation, the instructions 326 include instructions forperforming any of the implementations described herein. While thecomputer-readable storage medium 324 is shown in an exemplaryimplementation to be a single medium, it is to be understood that thecomputer-readable storage medium 324 may include a single medium ormultiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/orassociated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets ofinstructions.

II. Enterprise Social Networking

As initially described above, in some implementations, some of themethods, processes, devices, and systems described herein can implement,or be used in the context of, enterprise social networking. An“enterprise” refers generally to a company or organization that owns oneor more data centers that host various services and data sources. A“data center” refers generally to a physical location of variousservers, machines, and network components utilized by an enterprise.Some online enterprise social networks can be implemented in varioussettings, including businesses, organizations, and other enterprises(all of which are used interchangeably herein). For instance, an onlineenterprise social network can be implemented to connect users within abusiness corporation, partnership, or organization, or a group of userswithin such an enterprise. For instance, Chatter® can be used by userswho are employees in a business organization to share data, communicate,and collaborate with each other for various enterprise-related purposes.Some of the disclosed methods, processes, devices, systems, andcomputer-readable storage media described herein can be configured ordesigned for use in a multi-tenant database environment, such asdescribed above with respect to the database system 16. In an exampleimplementation, each organization or a group within the organization canbe a respective tenant of the system.

In some implementations, each user of the database system 16 isassociated with a “user profile.” A user profile refers generally to acollection of data about a given user. The data can include generalinformation, such as a name, a title, a phone number, a photo, abiographical summary, or a status (for example, text describing what theuser is currently doing, thinking, or expressing). As described below,the data can include messages created by other users. In implementationsin which there are multiple tenants, a user is typically associated witha particular tenant (or “organization”). For example, a user could be asalesperson of an organization that is a tenant of the database system16. As used herein, a “customer” may be an individual or organizationthat receives emails or other data and communications from a user. Acustomer may also be a user in certain scenarios.

A “group” generally refers to a collection of users within anorganization. In some implementations, a group can be defined as userswith one or more same or a similar attributes, or by membership orsubscription. Groups can have various visibilities to users within anenterprise social network. For example, some groups can be private whileothers can be public. In some implementations, to become a member withina private group, and to have the capability to publish and view feeditems on the group's group feed, a user must request to be subscribed tothe group (and be accepted by, for example, an administrator or owner ofthe group), be invited to subscribe to the group (and accept), or bedirectly subscribed to the group (for example, by an administrator orowner of the group). In some implementations, any user within theenterprise social network can subscribe to or follow a public group (andthus become a “member” of the public group) within the enterprise socialnetwork.

A “record” generally refers to a data entity, such as an instance of adata object created by a user or group of users of the database system16. Such records can include, for example, data objects representing andmaintaining data for accounts, cases, opportunities, leads, files,documents, orders, pricebooks, products, solutions, reports, andforecasts, among other possibilities. For example, a record can be for apartner or potential partner (for example, a client, vendor,distributor, etc.) of a user or a user's organization, and can includeinformation describing an entire enterprise, subsidiaries of anenterprise, or contacts at the enterprise. As another example, a recordcan be a project that a user or group of users is/are working on, suchas an opportunity with an existing partner, or a project that the useris trying to obtain. A record has data fields that are defined by thestructure of the object (for example, fields of certain data types andpurposes). A record also can have custom fields defined by a user ororganization. A field can include (or include a link to) another record,thereby providing a parent-child relationship between the records.

Records also can have various visibilities to users within an enterprisesocial network. For example, some records can be private while otherscan be public. In some implementations, to access a private record, andto have the capability to publish and view feed items on the record'srecord feed, a user must request to be subscribed to the record (and beaccepted by, for example, an administrator or owner of the record), beinvited to subscribe to the record (and accept), be directly subscribedto the record or be shared the record (for example, by an administratoror owner of the record). In some implementations, any user within theenterprise social network can subscribe to or follow a public recordwithin the enterprise social network.

In some online enterprise social networks, users also can follow oneanother by establishing “links” or “connections” with each other,sometimes referred to as “friending” one another. By establishing such alink, one user can see information generated by, generated about, orotherwise associated with another user. For instance, a first user cansee information posted by a second user to the second user's profilepage. In one example, when the first user is following the second user,the first user's news feed can receive a post from the second usersubmitted to the second user's profile feed.

In some implementations, users can access one or more enterprise networkfeeds (also referred to herein simply as “feeds”), which includepublications presented as feed items or entries in the feed. A networkfeed can be displayed in a graphical user interface (GUI) on a displaydevice such as the display of a user's computing device as describedabove. The publications can include various enterprise social networkinformation or data from various sources and can be stored in thedatabase system 16, for example, in tenant database 22. In someimplementations, feed items of information for or about a user can bepresented in a respective user feed, feed items of information for orabout a group can be presented in a respective group feed, and feeditems of information for or about a record can be presented in arespective record feed. A second user following a first user, a firstgroup, or a first record can automatically receive the feed itemsassociated with the first user, the first group, or the first record fordisplay in the second user's news feed. In some implementations, a userfeed also can display feed items from the group feeds of the groups therespective user subscribes to, as well as feed items from the recordfeeds of the records the respective user subscribes to.

The term “feed item” (or feed element) refers to an item of information,which can be viewable in a feed. Feed items can include publicationssuch as messages (for example, user-generated textual posts orcomments), files (for example, documents, audio data, image data, videodata or other data), and “feed-tracked” updates associated with a user,a group, or a record (feed-tracked updates are described in greaterdetail below). A feed item, and a feed in general, can includecombinations of messages, files, and feed-tracked updates. Documents andother files can be included in, linked with, or attached to a post orcomment. For example, a post can include textual statements incombination with a document. The feed items can be organized inchronological order or another suitable or desirable order (which can becustomizable by a user) when the associated feed is displayed in agraphical user interface (GUI), for instance, on the user's computingdevice.

Messages such as posts can include alpha-numeric or othercharacter-based user inputs such as words, phrases, statements,questions, emotional expressions, or symbols. In some implementations, acomment can be made on any feed item. In some implementations, commentsare organized as a list explicitly tied to a particular feed item suchas a feed-tracked update, post, or status update. In someimplementations, comments may not be listed in the first layer (in ahierarchal sense) of feed items, but listed as a second layer branchingfrom a particular first layer feed item. In some implementations, a“like” or “dislike” also can be submitted in response to a particularpost, comment, or other publication.

A “feed-tracked update,” also referred to herein as a “feed update,” isanother type of publication that may be presented as a feed item andgenerally refers to data representing an event. A feed-tracked updatecan include text generated by the database system in response to theevent, to be provided as one or more feed items for possible inclusionin one or more feeds. In one implementation, the data can initially bestored by the database system in, for example, tenant database 22, andsubsequently used by the database system to create text for describingthe event. Both the data and the text can be a feed-tracked update, asused herein. In some implementations, an event can be an update of arecord and can be triggered by a specific action by a user. Whichactions trigger an event can be configurable. Which events havefeed-tracked updates created and which feed updates are sent to whichusers also can be configurable. Messages and feed updates can be storedas a field or child object of a record. For example, the feed can bestored as a child object of the record.

As described above, a network feed can be specific to an individual userof an online social network. For instance, a user news feed (or “userfeed”) generally refers to an aggregation of feed items generated for aparticular user, and in some implementations, is viewable only to therespective user on a home page of the user. In some implementations auser profile feed (also referred to as a “user feed”) is another type ofuser feed that refers to an aggregation of feed items generated by orfor a particular user, and in some implementations, is viewable only bythe respective user and other users following the user on a profile pageof the user. As a more specific example, the feed items in a userprofile feed can include posts and comments that other users make aboutor send to the particular user, and status updates made by theparticular user. As another example, the feed items in a user profilefeed can include posts made by the particular user and feed-trackedupdates initiated based on actions of the particular user.

As is also described above, a network feed can be specific to a group ofenterprise users of an online enterprise social network. For instance, agroup news feed (or “group feed”) generally refers to an aggregation offeed items generated for or about a particular group of users of thedatabase system 16 and can be viewable by users following or subscribedto the group on a profile page of the group. For example, such feeditems can include posts made by members of the group or feed-trackedupdates about changes to the respective group (or changes to documentsor other files shared with the group). Members of the group can view andpost to a group feed in accordance with a permissions configuration forthe feed and the group. Publications in a group context can includedocuments, posts, or comments. In some implementations, the group feedalso includes publications and other feed items that are about the groupas a whole, the group's purpose, the group's description, a status ofthe group, and group records and other objects stored in associationwith the group. Threads of publications including updates and messages,such as posts, comments, likes, etc., can define conversations andchange over time. The following of a group allows a user to collaboratewith other users in the group, for example, on a record or on documentsor other files (which may be associated with a record).

As is also described above, a network feed can be specific to a recordin an online enterprise social network. For instance, a record news feed(or “record feed”) generally refers to an aggregation of feed itemsabout a particular record in the database system 16 and can be viewableby users subscribed to the record on a profile page of the record. Forexample, such feed items can include posts made by users about therecord or feed-tracked updates about changes to the respective record(or changes to documents or other files associated with the record).Subscribers to the record can view and post to a record feed inaccordance with a permissions configuration for the feed and the record.Publications in a record context also can include documents, posts, orcomments. In some implementations, the record feed also includespublications and other feed items that are about the record as a whole,the record's purpose, the record's description, and other records orother objects stored in association with the record. Threads ofpublications including updates and messages, such as posts, comments,likes, etc., can define conversations and change over time. Thefollowing of a record allows a user to track the progress of that recordand collaborate with other users subscribing to the record, for example,on the record or on documents or other files associated with the record.

In some implementations, data is stored in the database system 16,including tenant database 22, in the form of “entity objects” (alsoreferred to herein simply as “entities”). In some implementations,entities are categorized into “Records objects” and “Collaborationobjects.” In some such implementations, the Records object includes allrecords in the enterprise social network. Each record can be considereda sub-object of the overarching Records object. In some implementations,Collaboration objects include, for example, a “Users object,” a “Groupsobject,” a “Group-User relationship object,” a “Record-User relationshipobject,” and a “Feed Items object.”

In some implementations, the Users object is a data structure that canbe represented or conceptualized as a “Users Table” that associatesusers to information about or pertaining to the respective usersincluding, for example, metadata about the users. In someimplementations, the Users Table includes all of the users within anorganization. In some other implementations, there can be a Users Tablefor each division, department, team or other sub-organization within anorganization. In implementations in which the organization is a tenantof a multi-tenant enterprise social network platform, the Users Tablecan include all of the users within all of the organizations that aretenants of the multi-tenant enterprise social network platform. In someimplementations, each user can be identified by a user identifier(“UserID”) that is unique at least within the user's respectiveorganization. In some such implementations, each organization also has aunique organization identifier (“OrgID”).

In some implementations, the Groups object is a data structure that canbe represented or conceptualized as a “Groups Table” that associatesgroups to information about or pertaining to the respective groupsincluding, for example, metadata about the groups. In someimplementations, the Groups Table includes all of the groups within theorganization. In some other implementations, there can be a Groups Tablefor each division, department, team, or other sub-organization within anorganization. In implementations in which the organization is a tenantof a multi-tenant enterprise social network platform, the Groups Tablecan include all of the groups within all of the organizations that aretenants of the multitenant enterprise social network platform. In someimplementations, each group can be identified by a group identifier(“GroupID”) that is unique at least within the respective organization.

In some implementations, the database system 16 includes a “Group-Userrelationship object.” The Group-User relationship object is a datastructure that can be represented or conceptualized as a “Group-UserTable” that associates groups to users subscribed to the respectivegroups. In some implementations, the Group-User Table includes all ofthe groups within the organization. In some other implementations, therecan be a Group-User Table for each division, department, team, or othersub-organization within an organization. In implementations in which theorganization is a tenant of a multi-tenant enterprise social networkplatform, the Group-User Table can include all of the groups within allof the organizations that are tenants of the multitenant enterprisesocial network platform.

In some implementations, the Records object is a data structure that canbe represented or conceptualized as a “Records Table” that associatesrecords to information about or pertaining to the respective recordsincluding, for example, metadata about the records. In someimplementations, the Records Table includes all of the records withinthe organization. In some other implementations, there can be a RecordsTable for each division, department, team, or other sub-organizationwithin an organization. In implementations in which the organization isa tenant of a multi-tenant enterprise social network platform, theRecords Table can include all of the records within all of theorganizations that are tenants of the multitenant enterprise socialnetwork platform. In some implementations, each record can be identifiedby a record identifier (“RecordID”) that is unique at least within therespective organization.

In some implementations, the database system 16 includes a “Record-Userrelationship object.” The Record-User relationship object is a datastructure that can be represented or conceptualized as a “Record-UserTable” that associates records to users subscribed to the respectiverecords. In some implementations, the Record-User Table includes all ofthe records within the organization. In some other implementations,there can be a Record-User Table for each division, department, team, orother sub-organization within an organization. In implementations inwhich the organization is a tenant of a multi-tenant enterprise socialnetwork platform, the Record-User Table can include all of the recordswithin all of the organizations that are tenants of the multitenantenterprise social network platform.

In some implementations, the database system 16 includes a “Feed Itemsobject.” The Feed Items object is a data structure that can berepresented or conceptualized as a “Feed Items Table” that associatesusers, records, and groups to posts, comments, documents, or otherpublications to be displayed as feed items in the respective user feeds,record feeds, and group feeds, respectively. In some implementations,the Feed Items Table includes all of the feed items within theorganization. In some other implementations, there can be a Feed ItemsTable for each division, department, team, or other sub-organizationwithin an organization. In implementations in which the organization isa tenant of a multi-tenant enterprise social network platform, the FeedItems Table can include all of the feed items within all of theorganizations that are tenants of the multitenant enterprise socialnetwork platform.

Enterprise social network news feeds are different from typicalconsumer-facing social network news feeds (for example, FACEBOOK®) inmany ways, including in the way they prioritize information. Inconsumer-facing social networks, the focus is generally on helping thesocial network users find information that they are personallyinterested in. But in enterprise social networks, it can, in someinstances, applications, or implementations, be desirable from anenterprise's perspective to only distribute relevant enterprise-relatedinformation to users and to limit the distribution of irrelevantinformation. In some implementations, relevant enterprise-relatedinformation refers to information that would be predicted or expected tobenefit the enterprise by virtue of the recipients knowing theinformation, such as an update to a database record maintained by or onbehalf of the enterprise. Thus, the meaning of relevance differssignificantly in the context of a consumer-facing social network ascompared with an employee-facing or organization member-facingenterprise social network.

In some implementations, when data such as posts or comments from one ormore enterprise users are submitted to a network feed for a particularuser, group, record or other object within an online enterprise socialnetwork, an email notification, or other type of network communicationmay be transmitted to all users following the respective user, group,record, or object in addition to the inclusion of the data as a feeditem in one or more user, group, record, or other feeds. In some onlineenterprise social networks, the occurrence of such a notification islimited to the first instance of a published input, which may form partof a larger conversation. For instance, a notification may betransmitted for an initial post, but not for comments on the post. Insome other implementations, a separate notification is transmitted foreach such publication, such as a comment on a post.

III. Referencing Master Tenant Data

Certain implementations relate to a system and method for managing datareferences by sub-tenants to data managed by master tenants within amulti-tenant architecture of an entity.

Enterprise master data generally represents a single source ofinformation used across all systems, applications, and processes at theenterprise level. Master data may contain, for example, informationabout customers, products, materials, etc., and is typically used tosupport transactional processes. Often, a single data object from themaster data is proliferated across multiple systems, with data elementsbeing duplicated or triplicated, and in some circumstances requiringdata federation in order to understand the complete set of data.

Modern multi-tenant architectures provide a dedicated instantiation ofan application to a user, albeit inside of a shared infrastructureinstance, servicing multiple tenants. Often, the provisioning of atenant instance (which may be associated with an organization, and maysometimes be referred to as an “org”) provides numerous default dataobjects designed to hold information pertinent to an organization, suchas accounts information, contacts information, etc. This information isoften designated as master data. Many organizations use these data tosupport sales, service, or other business processes. The data that iscaptured by these objects is generally stored in standard objects insideof the infrastructure.

Despite attempts to utilize the master data model, theapplication-agnosticism of MDM limits the success of such systems. Thisis at least partially because the system of record that is generatingthe master data is not the system of federation that is assemblingmaster data, and the system of record may not have the ability toreference the federated master data.

While the process of capturing master data is not technically difficult,capturing the relationships between data objects, and representing thoserelationships to consuming systems poses significant challenges. Forexample, an originating system's data model may have established objectrelationships in order to provide application functionality, however,those relationships do not necessarily translate to downstream systems,or even master data federation systems. Often, capturing theserelationships effectively requires a new, canonical object model thatlives exclusively in the data federation engine, and has no downstreamapplication value.

Many large enterprises often utilize a multi-organization strategy,where multiple departments/sub-organizations within the enterprise areassociated with their own tenant within a multi-tenant architecture tomanage their own specific business requirements. Unfortunately, many ofthose business processes require the same master data in order tooperate, resulting in replication of master data between tenants. Anexemplary architecture illustrating this data model is shown in FIG. 4Aand described below.

FIG. 4A illustrates a multi-tenant architecture 400 using a data modelwhere each tenant maintains its own data. The multi-tenant architecture400, for example, may be associated with an entity, such as anorganization/enterprise, and includes tenant 410 and 420. Each tenantmay correspond to various sub-organizations associated with the entity.It is noted that tenants 410 and 420 are merely illustrative, and thatadditional tenants may also be utilized.

Tenant 410 maintains tenant data 415, which may be locally or externallystored. Storage of tenant data 415 may be implemented as described withrespect to tenant database 22, for example. Tenant data 415 may includevarious data objects. Account object 416A is illustrative of a dataobject representing a customer account for a customer associated withthe entity. The data objects may include data fields that are used atrun-time during execution of one or more applications (e.g., characters,character strings, numerical values, etc.), as well as sub-objects. Forexample, accounts object 416A includes a contacts object 416B, which maybe a data object that stores contact information associated with one ormore customers (e.g., a name, a telephone number, an e-mail address,etc.). Additional objects may also be included, such as custom object418A and custom child object 418B.

Tenant 420 may be similar to tenant 410. For example, tenant 420 isillustrated as maintaining its own tenant data 425, accounts object426A, contacts object 426B, custom object 428A, and custom child object428B. Each of tenants 410 and 420 may include different data objects,and the structures of their data objects may not necessarily coincide.

One of the tenants may be responsible for managing data that is used byother tenants in the multi-tenant architecture. For example, supposethat tenant 410 is designated as the source of data to be used by allother tenants (i.e., tenant data 415 is modeled as master data).Typically, in such architectures, tenant 420 would request data fromtenant 410 when needed and would locally store the received data as itsown tenant data 425, thus replicating the data from tenant data 415.

In accordance with implementations of the present disclosure, dataobjects normally defined as standard objects may be modified to bedefined as external objects that would allow a sub-tenant to referencemaster data of a master tenant. In certain implementations, thismodification would be a global setting that would be an either- orselection, and would not be reversible without data loss. For example,for an entity that utilizes a multi-tenant architecture in accordancewith the present disclosure, one tenant may be defined as a mastertenant that maintains a master customer list, which is implemented inthe form of account and contacts standard objects. This tenant maymaintain all customer data, as well as one-to-many and many-to-manyrelationships between account and contact.

In certain implementations, the multi-tenant architecture utilizes theopen data protocol (“OData”). OData allows for tenants within amulti-tenant architecture to reference externally-stored data, whilerepresenting it inside of the architecture as though it was storedtherein. OData may further expose a data access API to various consumingapplications, including those outside of the tenants, thus allowing dataobjects to be exposed as OData endpoints.

Other tenants who are consumers of master data are defined assub-tenants, who may be restricted to read-only access to the masterdata. The sub-tenants may implement the account and contact objects asexternal objects, referencing the master tenant's account and contactobjects. The relationship between account and contact can be defined asan external lookup relationship, which may be modeled analogously to anOData external relationship definition. Referenced objects may stillbehave as standard data objects (albeit externally referencing theirrespective data instead of internally reading/writing), and could alsoparticipate in master-detail or lookup relationships.

Certain implementations described herein utilize three categories ofdata objects: standard objects, custom objects, and external objects.Standard objects are objects that are defined according to a defaultconfiguration. Custom objects are objects that an end user can define atwill. Both custom and standard objects store their data in the tenantdatabase managed by the particular tenant with which they areassociated. External objects are objects that behave like standard andcustom objects from a definition perspective (i.e., field definitionsand types). However, they do not store their data in the tenantdatabase, but instead store a reference that points to the data in anexternal data source. In certain implementations, standard and customobjects may be defined to behave like external objects except that theystore references to the data of other objects within the tenant databaserather than objects external to the tenant database. An exemplaryarchitecture illustrating this data model is shown in FIG. 4B anddescribed below.

FIG. 4B illustrates a multi-tenant architecture 450 using a data modelbased on a master tenant and sub-tenant relationship according to someimplementations. Similar to the multi-tenant architecture 400, themulti-tenant architecture 450 may be associated with an entity andinclude a master tenant 460 and a sub-tenant 470. It is noted that thetenants 460 and 470 are merely illustrative, and that additionalsub-tenants may also be utilized, which may be associated with theentity, or may be external to the entity. In certain implementations,more than one master tenant may be utilized.

Master tenant 460 maintains master data 465, which may be locally orexternally stored. The master data 465 may include various data objectsthat are used by all tenants of the entity, such as accounts object466A, contacts object 466B, custom object 468A, and custom child object468B. Sub-tenant 470 maintains sub-tenant data 475, which may includesimilar data objects, such as accounts object 476A, contacts object476B, custom object 478A, and custom child object 478B. In certainimplementations, each of the objects includes references to theirrespective objects within the master data 465. The references may pointto the data elements stored in the master data 465, and the referencesmay be stored in the respective data fields defined by each of the dataobjects rather than the actual data referenced. For example, thecontacts object 476B may include a data field corresponding to acustomer name, but store an address of the location of the data withinthe master data 465 rather than the actual customer's name in the formof an alphanumeric string; the alphanumeric string itself is stored in adata field of the contacts object 466B. The mapping of the data objectsis illustrated by broken lines in FIG. 4B. It is noted that in certainimplementations, the data objects of the master data 465 and one or moresub-tenants is not necessarily a one-to-one mapping. Sub-tenant 470, forexample, may have data objects defined differently than that of themaster tenant 460, but may include references to the actual dataelements stored in the master data 465. In certain implementations, thedesignation of master tenant or sub-tenant status may be stored withinthe respective data of a tenant.

While the implementations data resolution have been described herein inthe context of enterprise systems, and particularly in multi-tenantarchitectures, it is contemplated that these implementations may besuitable in applications that require data management together with oras an alternative to data synchronization. In certain implementations,the data resolution functionality is performed in a SaaS environment. Inother implementations, the data resolution functionality is implementedas part of an on an on-premise solution. In certain implementations, thefunctionality is agnostic to open source technologies which may be usedto implement other functionalities. In certain implementations, the dataresolution functionality is agnostic to compression algorithmsimplemented. In certain implementations, the functionality is agnosticto the securing of HTTP and TCP transport and endpoints. In certainimplementations, node-to-node communication may be asynchronous.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 500 for modifying dataobjects to reference master data according to some implementations. Themethod 500 may be performed by processing logic comprising hardware(e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic, programmable logic, microcode, etc.),software (such as instructions run on a processing device), or acombination thereof. In one implementation, the method 500 may beperformed by one or more processing devices associated with a hostdatabase system (e.g., implemented on the application server 100).

Referring now to FIG. 5, at block 510, a processing device (e.g., of theapplication server 100) defines a class of tenants within a multi-tenantarchitecture associated with an entity. In certain implementations, theentity is an organization. The organization may own, maintain, orprovide access to the host database system. In certain implementations,one or more of the tenants may be associated with a particularsub-organization within the organization. For example, a first tenantmay be associated with the organization itself, and a second tenant maybe associated with a business unit within the organization. In certainimplementations, the class is representative of tenants associated onlywith the entity, and may include all tenants within the multi-tenantarchitecture associated with the entity. In other implementations, theclass may be representative of less than all tenants associated with theentity. In other implementations, the class may be representative ofmore than all tenants associated with the entity (e.g., tenantsassociated with other entities external to the entity).

At block 520, the processing device designates a first tenant of thetenants in the class as a master tenant (e.g., master tenant 460). Incertain implementations, the first tenant is the only tenant designatedas the master tenant in the class of tenants. In other implementations,additional tenants may be designated as master tenants. In suchimplementations, tenants designated as master tenants may collectivelymanage master data, which may be distributed across the master tenants,and/or synchronized across one or more of the master tenants.

At block 530, the processing device designates at least one tenant of aremainder of the class of tenants as a sub-tenant (e.g., sub-tenant470). In certain implementations, all of the remaining tenants in theclass not designated as master tenant are designated as sub-tenants. Inother implementations, less than all of the remaining tenants in theclass are designated as sub-tenants.

At block 540, the processing device modifies associated data objects foreach tenant designated as a sub-tenant. For a given tenant designated asa sub-tenant, data managed by the tenant (e.g., sub-tenant data 475) ismodified such that its data objects include references to data elementsstored in a first data object of the master tenant (i.e., a data objectof the master data). In certain implementations, one or more data fieldsof a sub-tenant may be empty, and may be populated with references thatpoint to the appropriate data elements of the data object. In otherimplementations, if a data field is already populated with a dataelement that was obtained from the first data object (i.e., an elementof master data that was duplicated and stored locally with respect tothe sub-tenant), the data element is replaced with a reference to theappropriate data element stored in the first data object of the mastertenant. In certain implementations, modifying the associated dataobjects for each of the tenants designated as sub-tenants is performedwithout duplication of any data elements of the first data objectmaintained by the master tenant. In certain implementations, writeaccess to the first data object is restricted for each tenant designatedas a sub-tenant.

In certain implementations, data logs and other records may be utilizedby the processing device to ensure that data unique to a sub-tenant isnot erased, and that only copies of data from the master data arereplaced with references to master data. In certain implementations,each tenant designated as a sub-tenant is configured to retrieve one ormore data elements from the master tenant based on the references of thedata object in response to receiving a runtime request for data (e.g., aruntime request generated by an application). In such implementations,the one or more data elements are retrieved and provided to therequesting application (without being stored locally by the sub-tenant),or directly made available to the application by the master tenant. Incertain implementations, the designations of the tenants may occur atthe generation of instantiation of the tenants. In otherimplementations, a pre-existing tenant may be designated as a mastertenant or a sub-tenant and modified accordingly.

In certain implementations, one or more of the blocks of the method 500may be performed simultaneously, asynchronously, or in a different orderas illustrated.

In the foregoing description, numerous details are set forth. It will beapparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art having thebenefit of this disclosure, that the present disclosure may be practicedwithout these specific details. While specific implementations have beendescribed herein, it should be understood that they have been presentedby way of example only, and not limitation. The breadth and scope of thepresent application should not be limited by any of the implementationsdescribed herein, but should be defined only in accordance with thefollowing and later-submitted claims and their equivalents. Indeed,other various implementations of and modifications to the presentdisclosure, in addition to those described herein, will be apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art from the foregoing description andaccompanying drawings. Thus, such other implementations andmodifications are intended to fall within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

Furthermore, although the present disclosure has been described hereinin the context of a particular implementation in a particularenvironment for a particular purpose, those of ordinary skill in the artwill recognize that its usefulness is not limited thereto and that thepresent disclosure may be beneficially implemented in any number ofenvironments for any number of purposes. Accordingly, the claims setforth below should be construed in view of the full breadth and spiritof the present disclosure as described herein, along with the full scopeof equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:defining, by a host database system, a class of tenants within amulti-tenant architecture associated with an entity; designating, by thehost database system, a first tenant of the tenants in the class as amaster tenant, wherein the master tenant maintains a first data object;designating, by the host database system, at least one tenant of aremainder of the class of tenants as a sub-tenant; and for each tenantdesignated as a sub-tenant, modifying, by the host database system, anassociated data object maintained by a given tenant by populating, orreplacing data stored in, data fields of the associated data object withreferences to corresponding data elements stored in the first dataobject.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein each tenant designated as asub-tenant is configured to retrieve one or more data elements from themaster tenant based on the references of the data object in response toreceiving a runtime request for data.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinmodifying the associated data objects for each of the tenants designatedas sub-tenants is performed without duplication of any data elements ofthe first data object maintained by the master tenant.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein write access to the first data object is restricted foreach tenant designated as a sub-tenant.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the class includes all tenants within the multi-tenantarchitecture associated with the entity.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the entity is an organization that owns, maintains, or providesaccess to the database system, and wherein one or more of the tenants isassociated with a particular sub-organization within the organization.7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first tenant is the only tenantdesignated as the master tenant in the class of tenants.
 8. A hostdatabase system comprising: a processing device; and a memory devicecoupled to the processing device, the memory device having instructionsstored thereon that, in response to execution by the processing device,cause the processing device to: define a class of tenants within amulti-tenant architecture associated with an entity; designate a firsttenant of the tenants in the class as a master tenant, wherein themaster tenant maintains a first data object; designate at least onetenant of a remainder of the class of tenants as a sub-tenant; and foreach tenant designated as a sub-tenant, modify an associated data objectmaintained by a given tenant by populating, or replacing data stored in,data fields of the associated data object with references tocorresponding data elements stored in the first data object.
 9. The hostdatabase system of claim 8, wherein each tenant designated as asub-tenant is configured to retrieve one or more data elements from themaster tenant based on the references of the data object in response toreceiving a runtime request for data.
 10. The host database system ofclaim 8, wherein modifying the associated data objects for each of thetenants designated as sub-tenants is performed without duplication ofany data elements of the first data object maintained by the mastertenant.
 11. The host database system of claim 8, wherein write access tothe first data object is restricted for each tenant designated as asub-tenant.
 12. The host database system of claim 8, wherein the classincludes all tenants within the multi-tenant architecture associatedwith the entity.
 13. The host database system of claim 8, wherein theentity is an organization that owns, maintains, or provides access tothe database system, and wherein one or more of the tenants isassociated with a particular sub-organization within the organization.14. The host database system of claim 8, wherein the first tenant is theonly tenant designated as the master tenant in the class of tenants. 15.A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructionsencoded thereon which, when executed by a processing device, cause theprocessing device to: define a class of tenants within a multi-tenantarchitecture associated with an entity; designate a first tenant of thetenants in the class as a master tenant, wherein the master tenantmaintains a first data object; designate at least one tenant of aremainder of the class of tenants as a sub-tenant; and for each tenantdesignated as a sub-tenant, modify an associated data object maintainedby a given tenant by populating, or replacing data stored in, datafields of the associated data object with references to correspondingdata elements stored in the first data object.
 16. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein each tenantdesignated as a sub-tenant is configured to retrieve one or more dataelements from the master tenant based on the references of the dataobject in response to receiving a runtime request for data.
 17. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, whereinmodifying the associated data objects for each of the tenants designatedas sub-tenants is performed without duplication of any data elements ofthe first data object maintained by the master tenant.
 18. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, whereinwrite access to the first data object is restricted for each tenantdesignated as a sub-tenant.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 15, wherein the class includes all tenantswithin the multi-tenant architecture associated with the entity.
 20. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein theentity is an organization that owns, maintains, or provides access tothe database system, and wherein one or more of the tenants isassociated with a particular sub-organization within the organization,and wherein the first tenant is the only tenant designated as the mastertenant in the class of tenants.